Mammoth AwardsYou can greatly reduce how much you pay in rent if you qualify for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. With it, you’ll only have to pay a certain amount of your income towards rent each month, allowing you to start putting away cash for a rainy day.
Are Section 8 vouchers available to everyone? Unfortunately, the answer is no, as the program was created to help low-income families in need. To see if you may qualify, keep reading, as we’ll explain the application process and what will be expected of you.
How a Section 8 Voucher Helps
Before you apply for a Housing Choice Voucher, you’re probably wondering how it can help you. As stated, it limits how much you’ll have to pay out of pocket for rent, with the government picking up the rest of the tab.
This is ideal if you have problems paying your rent on time every month and if you feel like you’re constantly on the brink of eviction. Besides the peace of mind that a housing voucher provides, it can also allow you to start saving your money until you can become completely independent of any assistance.
Even though Section 8 assistance comes from the government, it won’t limit your housing options. As long as the property participates in the Section 8 program, you can choose between a single-family home, apartment, or townhome.
How To Become Eligible for Section 8
In an ideal world, we all could qualify for a housing voucher to make rent more affordable. However, that’s not the case, as several factors will be used to determine whether or not you can get Section 8 help.
Your local Public Housing Agency (PHA) will be in charge of your application and granting any vouchers. To see if you are eligible, they will look at the following:
- The size of your family.
- The status of your citizenship.
- Your status as a senior citizen, someone with a disability, or as a low-income family.
- How much you make each year (gross annual income).
- Other factors, depending on the PHA.
As a general rule, the income of everyone in your household will have to be less than 50 percent of the median income where you live. If you make much more than that, you probably will not be eligible for Section 8, as it’s mostly based on financial need.
How To Apply for Section 8
It’s a good idea to get started with your Section 8 application now. Wait times for vouchers can be quite long due to demand, so the sooner you start, the better.
To get started, contact your PHA. They will tell you what’s needed to apply for Section 8, including any documents and information regarding your family size, citizenship, income, etc.
You can fill out your Section 8 application or have a PHA counselor help with the process. Know that the PHA will check any information on your application to verify that it’s true. The information, such as income and family size, will also be used to determine how much your potential voucher could be worth.
If you qualify for a voucher, you will be moved to a waiting list. Once your spot in the list comes up, you can get a voucher to help pay the rent of a property that meets Section 8’s health and safety standards.
The property will be inspected, and if it’s approved, you can move in. Your voucher will be paid straight to the landlord every month, and you’ll have to pay your portion on time.
